Electric lamplighter.



No. 810384. PATENTED JAN. 23, 1906. P. w; & A. A. ARDUINO. BLBGTRIG LAMPLIGHTER.

APPLICATION FILED A'PLZZ, 1904.

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n I I PATENTBD JAN. 23, 1906. P. W. & A. A. ARDUINO.

ELECTRIC LAMPLIGHTER. APPLICATION FILED 11.22. 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 810,384. PATENTED JAN. 23, 1906. P. w. & A. A. ARDUINO.

ELECTRIC LAMPLIGHTER. APPLICATION FILED APB.22, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER W. ARDUINO AND AMEDEO A. ARDUINO, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRIC LAMPLIGHTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 23, 1906.

Application filed April 22,1904. Serial No. 20 L439.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, PETER W. ARDUINO and AMEDEO A. ARDUINO, subjects of the King of Italy, residing at Stamford, in the county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Lamplighters; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to electrically-operated lamplighters wherein a wire or filament is heated to incandescence and moved into proximity to the wick of the lamp to ignite the fuel, the object of the invention being to provide a simple, compact, and convenient arrangement wherein by depression of a thumb-piece or plunger the igniting-wire will be moved into operative relation to the-wick and at the same time the zinc or corresponding element of a battery will be immersed in the electrolyte.

Afurther object of the invention is to provide a simple and effective construction of wick-feed which will insure against turning the wick too high or too low under different conditions.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood from the following description.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views, Figure 1. is an elevation of the complete apparatus. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus, the chimney and the draft-cap being removed. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the apparatus in a plane including the lateral supporting-arm that supports the burner of the lamp, parts being in elevation. Fig. 1 is an enlarged perspective view showing the carrier for the igniting-wire and the connections between it and the plunger for raising and lowering the igniting-wire as the plunger is depressed and raised. 5 1s an enlarged detail view of the wick-feedmg wheel and the cooperating parts. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section through the wick-feeding wheel and the stop-wheel, the stop-lever being in plan view. Fig. 7 is a vertical section taken transversely through the feeding-shaft, with the stop-wheel and stop-lever in elevation.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a lamp comprising a font 10, from one side of which extends a collar 11, which fits around the upper reduced portion of the jaw 12 of the battery, the battery having a screwcap 13, which when in place prevents removal of the collar from the jaw.

The font projects above the collar, and this projecting portion is threaded, as shown, to receive a threaded sleeve 15, which is engaged also with the threads of the lower end of the burnerhead 16. By screwing the sleeve downwardly on the font the sleeve will move from engagement with the burner-head, and the latter may be then removed from the font.

The burner-head has the usual gallery 18 to receive a chimney and a wick-tube 19, which is slotted in the usual manner to receive starwheels on the feed-shaft 20, these star-wheels being arranged to engage the wick 21 and move it up or down as the feed-shaft is rotated in one direction or the other.

The feed-shaft is provided with a thumb wheel 23 for rotating it, and mounted rotatably upon the shaft is a disk 24:, having a finger 25 pivoted thereto for movement into and out of position between the serrations 26 of the thumb-wheel, so that the disk may be caused to move with the thumb-wheel. In the disk and concentric therewith is an arc-shaped slot 28, and pivoted between ears 29 on the burnerhead is an angular lever 30, one end of which engages the arc-shaped slot. The inner side of the arc-shaped slot is recessed, as shown at 30, and the end of the angular lever is held normally in this recess by means of a helical spring 31, so that when the disk is oscillated with the thumb-wheel the end of the angular lever by striking against the ends of the recess limits the length of the arc of oscillation of the feeder-shaft or the angular movement thereof. When the angular lever is moved against the action of the helical spring, the lever moves from the recess of the slot into position to permit of angular adjustment of the disk throughout the entire length of the slot. Thus under normal conditions oscillation of the feeder-shaft will be permitted sufficient to move the wick up into burning position or down into the tube to extinguish the flame, and when the thumb-wheel is rotated its maximum distance the wick is projected high above the wick-tube in position for lighting in the manner hereinafter described.

The cap of the battery (shown at 13) is provided with a right-angular tubular extension 35, the upper horizontal portion of which is split, as illustrated, and has ears 36,with which is engaged a screw 37 for contracting the split portion about a tubular arm 38, that projects at right angles from the burner-head. In the cap 13 is an insulating-plate 39, against which is disposed a U-shaped carbon 40, which is held in place by a screw 41, passed downwardly through an insulating-bushing 42 in the angular tubular extension of the cap, the screw.

being insulated frolnthe extension and cap, as illustrated. The extension o1 the cap has a foot 43, through which is slidably passed a plunger-rod 44. which at its lower end carries a zinc plate 45 between the spaced members of the U-shapcd carbon 40. At the upper end of the plunger 44 is a tubular cap 46 and a helical spring 47 surrounding the plunger, which rests with one end within and against the upper wall of the cap and with its other end upon the foot 43, the spring serving to hold the plunger normally and yieldably in raised position. Spring-lingers 47 and 48 are disposed within the tubular extension of the cap and bear, respectively, against the plunger 44 and screw 41, and connected to these fingers, which are insulated from each other, are circuit-wires 50 and 51, respectively. When the plunger is depressed, the zinc is carried down into the electrolyte in the battery-jar and the circuit-wires are energized, as will be understood.

Adjacent to the wick-tube in the burnerhead is a guideway 52, in which is slidably disposed a carrier 53, containing an insulatingplate 54,;t'rom which project two electric terminals and 56, between which is connected a platinum wire 57. At the sides of the guideway are hook-shaped contact-fingers 59 and 60, which are insulated from each other and to which are connected the circuit-wires 50 and 51, respectively. WVhen the carrier is raised, the electric terminals are brought into contact with the contact plates or fingers and the platinum wire is thus brought into circuit with the battery, the current being suificiently strong to heat the wire to incandescence.

In order to raise the carrier to bring the wire into circuit and at the same time into contact with the wick, which has been previously fed upwardly, a bell-crank lever 61 is pivoted upon a shaft 62, passed through spaced ears 63 on the tubular extension of the cap, the bell-crank lever lying between the spaced ears and having an arm 64, which slidably engages a socket 65 in the side of the carrier, so that when the bell-crank lever is rocked the carrier will be raised and lowered. exterior to the ears, is mounted a second bellcrank lever 66, connected with the first-named bell-crank lever by a pin 67 for operating it.

The spring 47 comprises an upper section and a lower section, between which, upon the plunger 44 and within the cap 46, there is dis- On the shaft 62,,

posed a slidable collar 68. From the collar 68 projects a pin 69, which lies above the arm of the second bell-crank lever 66, so that when the plunger is depressed the pin will strike this arm and actuate the lever to raise the carrier, as above described. By reason of the collar 68 being between the sections of the helical spring the pin or finger of the collar has a yielding pressure upon the lever 66, so that danger of breaking the parts is reduced to a minimum.

To raise the end of the bell-crank lever 66 when the plunger rises, links 69 and 70 are pivotally connected, respectively, with the lever 66 and the pin or finger 69. When the plunger is depressed, these links fold, so that the pin or finger may engage the bell-crank lever and move it when the zinc 45 has very nearly reached the lower limit of its movement. Thus the plunger and the Zinc carried thereby have initial lost motion with respect to the lever 66.

With the above-described construction it will be understood that by shifting the stoplever the wick of the lamp may be turned up high and into position for contact by the igniting-wire when the plunger is depressed to immerse the zinc and raise the carrier with the wire to close the circuit of the battery through the wire, which being rendered incandescent, serves to light the lamp. The wick is then turned down by manipulation of the thumb-wheel and the stop-lever snaps into the recess in the wall of the arc-shaped slot of the stop-disk, in which position it limits movement of the wick to support a flame of the proper height and to extinguish the flame.

It will be understood that in practice modifications of the specific construction shown may be made and any suitable materials and proportions may be used for the various parts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

WVhat is claimed is 1. The combination with a lamp, ofacarrier slidably mounted adjacent to the wick-tube thereof, electrical contacts an electro-incandescent body carried by the carrier, and movable therewith to bridge the contacts and lie in igniting relation to the Wick of the lamp, a battery connected with the lamp and including an element movable into and out of active relation to the cooperating element, a plunger connected with the movable element, means for holding said plunger with the attached element normally and yieldably in its inactive position, means connected with the carrier for shifting it, a pin carried by the plunger and movable therewith to engage and actuate the carrier-shifting means, and pivoted links connected between said means and the plunger and adapted to fold when the pin moves toward theshifting means and to unfold and return the shifting means whenvthe pin moves away from the shifting means.

2, The combination with a lamp, of acarrier slidably mounted adjacent to the Wick-tube thereof, electrical contacts, an electro-incandescent body carried by the carrier and movable therewith to bridge the contacts and lie in igniting relation to the wick of the lamp, a battery connected with the lamp and including an element movable into and out of active relation to the cooperating element, a plunger connected with said movable element, means for holding said plunger with the element normally and yieldably in its inactive position, and means connected between the carrier and the plunger for shifting the carrier, said plunger having initial lost motion in both directions with respect to the carrier.

3. The combination with a lampincludinga font and burner-head, of a battery including a jar, igniting means carried by the lamp, means carried by the battery for actuating the igniting means, the battery comprising a jar having an upper reduced portion, of means for holding the lamp and battery with their respective mechanisms in cooperative relation, said holding means comprisinga collar carried by the font and engaging the jar and a cap removably engaged with the reduced portion of the jar and impinging against the collar.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

PETER W. ARDUINO, AMEDEO A. ARDUINO.

WVitnesses:

ALEX. T. BERNHARD, EDWARD Esrosrro. 

